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5 Stocks That Pay You Twice as Much as Treasuries

NEW YORK (
TheStreet) -- Treasury bonds provide safety to investors but, after a rally that started in late 2008, now lack return. Dividend stocks, on the other hand, can easily give you twice the gain with little additional risk in certain cases.

With uncertainty over the direction of the European and U.S. economies, the stock market is worrying investors. Over the past year, more money was poured into bond funds than equity funds. As a result, the spread between bond and equity mutual fund investing reached $1.2 trillion in 2011, an unprecedented level.

To be sure, there has been some good news that has calmed investors' nerves. The unemployment rate last month declined to 8.3%, the lowest in about three years. Manufacturing and the service industry have shown signs of improvement.

Understandably, there isn't a robust turnaround, and investors are still concerned about putting money in the stock market. Still, low-yielding bonds don't seem all that economical.

That's especially true, given that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake is committed to keeping the Fed Funds rate at zero for at least three years. The 10-year Treasury yields 2%, just above the recent low of 1.8%.

Doubling the 10-year Treasury yield isn't that difficult. There are plenty of dividend-paying stocks that pay at least twice what the government or certificates of deposit will give you. The key is to ensure the stability of the dividend and health of the company.

NextEra has a history of paying a dividend since 1990 and has a five-year annual growth rate of 8%. As the country grows more environmentally conscious with the help of regulation, NextEra stands to benefit, boosting the prospects for the dividend.

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